The weapon uses "exploding" rounds: the first shot acts as a tracker, and when the second round is shot nearby, they explode. Note that this "tracking and exploding" sequence of shots will not work if the shots are fired too far apart, in which case they act as regular sniper rounds. These rounds deal only 30 damage by themselves, and will only achieve a one-shot kill by themselves via a headshot in Core modes or any bodyshot in Hardcore. The rounds also have no penetration power and will stick to whatever surface it hits, including players.

The NA-45 is capable of shooting at 750 RPM, the fastest of all sniper rifles in the game. However, firing at such a fast rate may cause the detonating round to miss via recoil.

As well, the shots need to land on the same surface in order to explode. For example, if the primer hits a wall, and then the second round hits an enemy player, it will not explode, regardless of how close together the enemy and the wall are. Reloading after the first shot will also deactivate the first round and reset the cycle. There are only two shots per magazine. There is a moderately high amount of sway, so the Ballistic CPU attachment is highly recommended if the player will be using the default scope anyways, and aiming for long periods of time. It is highly recommended to Reload cancel the weapon when possible, as the player will reload a lot.

The explosion of the primer round is similar in power to a grenade, meaning a player can kill an enemy just by firing at a surface near the enemy. It is possible to kill multiple enemies with a single explosion. Supply Drop variants that have damage increases actually increase the damage from the explosion. If an enemy at full health is killed by the explosion, it will earn the player the One Shot One Kill medal (despite it technically being two shots). However, if the first shot hits the enemy but does not kill them, then exploding the round will not count as a one shot kill as the impact has taken down the enemy's full health.

The NA-45 has a better chance of making explosions if shooting from a bird's-eye-view of the desired target. If the player will be moving around a lot, it may be a good idea to invest in the ACOG Scope, as the lower zoom level can be very useful. The Ironsights, although harder to obtain, serve a similar purpose, but have a significantly lower zoom level than the ACOG Scope, and are extremely obstructive, making ranged shooting of the NA-45 unreliable in some cases.

Usage of Danger Close is highly recommended, as the NA-45 will receive a much larger chance of getting a kill by using it. As well, Flak Jacket can also be useful if the NA-45 user will be using it in close quarters, where they may be harmed by the explosive radius

In conclusion, the NA-45 is an extremely odd weapon that should be treated more akin to a standalone weapon, rather than a sniper rifle. Usage of the NA-45 requires a great deal of strategy and class setup, but the NA-45, when used correctly, can be sure to leave a mark on the battlefield.

The NA-45 has some good variants to use. The Sharpshooter decreases sprint-out time to 270 milliseconds as well has increasing the movement speed to 91.8% (i.e. a 2% increase), contrary to what the in-game stats claim. Both advantages as questionable, although considering the Sharpshooter has no downside, it is a pure bonus variant.

The HE increases the minimum damage of the explosion to 30, making the weapon slightly more powerful, especially when paired with Danger Close. However, the HE suffers from more idle sway, a minor penalty.

The M and Hurried increase the firecap to 857 and 1000 RPM respectively, allowing one to fire a follow-up shot quicker. However the M and Hurried both have more idle sway, with the Hurried having a 330 milliseconds sprint-out time instead of the usual 300, both of which are minor downsides. The higher fire rate could allow the player to easily fire two shots quikcly, although one must be careful as recoil as well as idle sway could cause the second round could miss the first one, resulting in no explosion.

The Ravager has a very large explosion damage increase, as well as extending the blast radius to 7.6 meters, making the weapon far more powerful, especially when combined with Danger Close. However the Ravager has a quite large downside in that its firecap is lowered to a mere 400 RPM, meaning that one will hit the firecap if they shoot faster than 400 RPM, and consequently will actually shoot slower than the maximum potential. This is a downside in that the player will have to wait for a longer delay to fire another shot in order not to hit the firecap, reducing the weapon's damage potential due to the lower fire rate.